Essex Police said it is assessing information related to private flights into and out of Stansted Airport following the publication of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the US Department of Justice.
Police sources said the assessment does not automatically mean a full criminal investigation will be launched.
A BBC investigation last year revealed that at least 87 flights linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein arrived at or departed from UK airports between the early 1990s and 2018, with dozens of additional flights to the UK identified later.
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote recently that police urgently need to re-examine whether Epstein’s victims were trafficked within the UK or taken abroad, saying the scale of abuse would become clearer through a full investigation of flight records.
In a statement, Essex Police said it is reviewing information linked specifically to private aircraft movements at Stansted Airport after the release of the Epstein files.
In December, the BBC reported that flight records appeared to include three British women who were allegedly trafficked, alongside other documents connected to Epstein. Lawyers representing hundreds of Epstein’s victims in the US said it was shocking that no full-scale investigation into his UK activities had ever taken place.
Brown said Stansted, located about 40 miles from central London, was among the airports where women were transferred between Epstein’s aircraft. He has written to senior officers in the Metropolitan Police, Essex Police and Thames Valley Police urging renewed scrutiny.
Stansted Airport said all private jets operate through independent fixed-base operators and that passengers on such flights do not enter the main terminal. Immigration and customs checks are carried out directly by UK Border Force, the airport authority added.
The National Police Chiefs' Council said a new national group has been formed to support police forces assessing allegations arising from the Epstein files.
Separately, Thames Valley Police is reviewing claims that a woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Prince Andrew, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police launched a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson over allegations he passed sensitive information to Epstein. Mandelson has denied any criminal conduct and previously apologised for maintaining links with Epstein.
With a inputs from BBC